FAQ

Here’s the handy-dandy one-step guide to answer your questions about Vida Vegan Con! Got a question that’s not answered below? Ask away and send an email toVidaVeganConference@gmail.comor tweet@VidaVeganHQWe’re sure you’re not the only one thinkin’ it.

Q. What is Vida Vegan Con, anyway?Vida Vegan Con is a professionally run media & lifestyle conference designed to celebrate and explore the outlets, expressions and evolution of our community. With an action-packed weekend of workshops, discussion panels, speakers, special events, vegan food, new products, exciting vendors, networking, and more, this conference will be the best vegan weekend of your life. Or at least that’s our goal! Your friendly organizers/event directors are Janessa, Jess & Michele. Hello!

Q. What is the date and location of the next conference?Vida Vegan Con III will take place May 29-31, 2015 in Austin, TX. The conference once again offers an action-packed, three day weekend, starting with Friday’s full-day Vida Vegan Bazaar to take place at a The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, and Saturday and Sunday offering full days of classes, workshops, panels, vegan buffets and more at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center. Learn more here. Registration is currently open.

If you’re registered, please stay tuned for the official times and plan accordingly, because this new experience is included with your ticket! And by popular demand, we’ll also be opening a portion of the day to the public so more folks, including your family & friends, can get a taste of Vida Vegan Con!

Q. How do I register for Vida Vegan Con?By clicking right here! Registration for Vida Vegan Con IIIis now open.Your ticket (aka electronic email confirmation) includes a full weekend of panels, workshops, talks, discussions and the new experience of the Vida Vegan Bazaar. It also includes all official conference meals and vegan buffets(!), a packed swag bag, a program/notebook, and admission to Friday’s Bazaar. It does NOT include outside meals, transportation, or accommodation. Want some tips on that? Head to our Travel page, with more to come.

Q. Oh, I don’t write a blog. Can I still attend?
Yes! Of course! While many of our classes and speakers come from the world of vegan blogging (just like your friendly organizers), this is just a jumping point into the realm of contemporary, vegan-focused media and lifestyle. This conference is about uniting blog/online writers/YouTubers/Instagrammers and their audience. If you are interested in the concept, then it’s for you. Come if you want to learn more and develop your skills, you’re thinking about starting a blog, if you want to come meet your favorite vegan authors, activists, bloggers and business owners, if you just want to meet more vegans and get your professional (and casual, adorable and straight up fun) vegan networking on, or if you just want the super fun SWAG Bag-of-Wonder.

Q. Who is going to be speaking at the conference?
We assure you, we have another super exciting, only-at-Vida Vegan Con roster lined up! We’ve already started sharing our speaker reveals ⸺ which includes Bryant Terry, Jill Pyle of Vegan Cuts, Hannah Kaminsky of Bitter Sweet, Brian Patton of The Sexy Vegan, Gena Hamshaw of Choosing Raw, Nicole J. Georges, Ginny Messina of The Vegan RD and Grant Butler, to name a mere handful from our roster of over 30 speakers ⸺ intheseverysixrivetingbatches. We’ll have a big page of all our speakers up soon. Please note that speaking at Vida Vegan Con is done on an open-call basis, and we are no longer accepting applications. If you’re interested in speaking at the next conference, stay tuned and consider attending to get a feel for this unique weekend!

Q. What if I don’t know anyone?
Don’t worry! Not only do we have new icebreakers and networking time planned for 2015, we assure you that the people who come to our conference are super friendly! And if you don’t know anyone, come up and say hi to one of the organizers. We won’t bite, and we’d love to meet you. We always hold at least one Meet & Greet beforehand and there are even more unofficial breakouts and activities planned for the time before & after the ‘Con in store, too!

Q. What does my registration fee go toward?
Good question! The organizers use your registration fee to primarily pay for event spaces for the entire weekend, food for all attendees and speakers, travel costs, equipment, taxes, printing and design costs, extra hands, and then some. We have priced registration as low as we possibly can to make this as inclusive as possible, and everyone will walk out of here with full bellies, inspired and educated hearts and minds, and an armful of the most useful swag to ever fit (maybe) in one bag.

We realize it may seem like a lot of money, but we want to throw the most comprehensive and helpful vegan conference EVER for you. We can assure you that it will be worth it and strive to announce our dates over a year in advance!

Q. Sounds rad, but I don’t know if I can afford it. Are there any other options for me?
Certainly! We’d love to have you! Like with VVC I & II, we will have a few scholarship opportunities available (stay tuned for information), and keep your eyes peeled for contests. We also introduced the Vida Vegan Street Team in 2014, which offers folks another way to help out and earn registration. The Street Team is currently full, but send us an email to VidaVeganConference@gmail.com if you’d like to get on the waiting list.

Q. Can I volunteer?
Thank you for your interest! Vegans are the nicest! Unfortunately, due to some companies’ exploitation of interns, we are not able to legally accept volunteers for this type of event. If you still wish to lend a hand in some way and will be in Austin that weekend, we would love your assistance; reach out to us at the email above and we’ll see what we can do.

Q. Do I have to stay at the hotels or in the room block you recommend? Or can I stay with my best friend Genevieve’s brother Chard’s cousin?
Our official hotel room block is on-site at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center, where Saturday and Sunday’s conference happenings will be held. You can learn more and book it right here. You are certainly not required to stay there, and we’re working on a full list of affordable options, including hotels, boutique and budget-friendly hotels, which will be up on our Travel page later this summer. Recommendations welcome!

You can also head to our Facebook group (please don’t join until you register!) to help you find roommates for hotels, AirBnB, Roomorama and other possibilities. There are a ton of options out there. You are responsible for contacting the hotel directly for your own lodging.

Q. How can my company sponsor the conference? What are the marketing opportunities? Can I table?
Thank you for your interest! Head right here or just download our snazzy packet!

We’ll also have much more information on one-day vendor and exhibitor opportunities on Friday, so make sure to fill out this form and we’ll hit you up once the info is ready to go. We’ll also have discounted information for attendees and speakers to have or share their own tables, too.

Q. Will I have time to go out and explore the city on my own? Do you have any recommendations?
Absolutely! We definitely encourage people to get out and about, and we’ll have a few events planned around town (vegan taco & karaoke crawl, anyone?) if you want to take advantage of locals’ advice. We’ll also be putting together a Google Map with loads of places to check out. In the meantime, check out our friend Lazy Smurf’s Vegan Guide to Austin.

Q. What is the cancellation and refund policy?
If you have paid for registration and are later confirmed as a scholarship recipient, your registration can be refunded.

Otherwise, all registrations are non-refundable.

If you want to sell and transfer your ticket to someone else, we will absolutely honor that ticket. Please, make sure both parties are familiar with our Registration Policy and we ask that you do not charge more than you paid. We ask that you email us the new recipient’s name and contact info ASAP.